Blog
Debra Wheatman, President of Careers Done Write, provides expert insight to the job search process that puts your career in gear with tips for interviewing, networking, job search strategies and how to create a winning resume and cover letter.
Ten Pioneering American Women You Have Never Heard About
Founded in 1910 by feminist Clara Zetkin, International Women’s Day is a day to recognize women’s contributions to industry and society and their work outside of the home. Many women who have impacted American history are well known, such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth. However, too many pioneering women have been left out of the conversation for too long.
How well do you know the history of women’s contributions in the US? Are any of these names familiar?….
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
During the Second World War, women proved they could do “men’s” work and do it well. With men away to serve in the military and demands for war materials increasing, manufacturing jobs opened up to women and upped their earning power. Yet, women’s employment was only encouraged as long as the war was on. Once the war was over, federal and civilian policies replaced women workers with men….
Bewitched by Your Uniqueness
When I think about the show now, bad special effects aside, I realize that Bewitched started a conversation about the empowerment of women and how that was represented in different generations during the 1960s. The show clearly invites a conversation about female issues and female empowerment as it centers on strong women characters. This is quite impressive, considering the time period. Samantha’s somewhat adherence to Darrin’s edict isolated and marginalized her. Fundamentally, Bewitched is a show about being unable to be yourself and hiding who you really are….
How Women’s Work Became a Man’s World
Would it surprise you to learn that women once dominated the entire field of computer science? Modern computing grew from the need for ballistics calculations during World War II. At that time, “computer” was a job title—people who performed the sets of calculations. Men who may have otherwise taken these jobs were busy with the war effort. Plus, the work wasn’t regarded as “intellectual.” It was seen as repetitive and focused. So women were hired for their mathematical abilities while the men who designed and created the machines took most of the credit for the work….
Return to Office Mandates Work Against Working Women
The fact is that the pre-pandemic, primarily in-office working style worked for one segment of the workforce: men. Despite more college-educated women being in the workforce than at any time in history, the share of domestic labor women perform has increased. Domestic labor women perform is worth half a trillion dollars, yet, by design, it has no value in the free market. The system relies on free and cheap domestic labor, most of which women perform, and those in power want to keep the status quo….
Cinderella Syndrome
We all know the story of Cinderella. It is the classic rags-to-riches tale filled with supernatural components and the stuff of a good fairytale. It is a story about overcoming oppression and receiving a just reward; a universal tale about the triumph of good over evil; and a story of the desire for love, acceptance, and a higher standard of living. Fundamentally, Cinderella is the story of the universal human desire for belonging and acceptance….
Equity vs. Equality: Musings on International Women’s Day
Simply hiring more women will not solve the problem of inequity. Companies must embrace equity as a strategic imperative. Although women comprise more than 50% of the workforce, there persists a dearth of women in positions of leadership. Within the US labor force, college-educated women outnumber college-educated men, yet the more education they obtain, the greater the pay disparity between them and their male counterparts. And, while the shift to hybrid and flexible working practices has given women greater access to work, especially working mothers, equity does not necessarily follow….
New Data on the Pay Gap Is Out, and It Doesn’t Look Good
The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank, just released its report on the gender pay gap in the United States, and the news is grim. According to the research published on March 1, the pay gap between men and women is nearly identical to what it was twenty years ago. There have been many efforts to ameliorate this problem—from pay transparency laws to increased scrutiny of earnings disparity among employees doing the same job—but the problem persists….
Is Women’s Career Advice a Form of Gaslighting?
Most women’s career advice revolves around balancing work with family obligations, being assertive, and how to act to be taken seriously. All of these put the onus of fixing the problem on the women. What’s even more insidious is the implication here, which is that women are the ones who have caused workplace inequality. That is dangerous, dubious, and wrong….
Is subtle sexism holding you back in your career?
We all know a sexist comment when we hear it. Or do we? Sure, particularly egregious ones like “I’ll have my girl run it over to you” are easy to spot and remind us of something from Mad Men. But far more common are instances of subtle, casual sexism that constantly undermine women’s credibility and hold them back….